Often called the “Golden Age” of ancient Greek history, the fifth century BCE saw an astonishing cultural flowering at Athens. Its monuments include the Parthenon on the Athenian acropolis, the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, the histories of Herodotus and Thucydides, the wisdom of Socrates, and the growth of democracy under the leadership of Pericles. This course will investigate and contextualize these and other achievements through a survey of the central themes of Greek social, political, and military history during the Archaic and Classical periods, including the rise of the city-state or polis, tyranny, hoplite warfare, athletics, panhellenism, and the formation of a (Western) Greek identity through the encounter with the (Eastern) Persians. Comparisons of Athens with other Greek city-states, especially Sparta, will provide additional context. We will also examine the less than golden aspects of the age such as imperialism, slavery, and the treatment of women.

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This syllabus was submitted to the Rhodes College Office of Academic Affairs by the course instructor